Who I Am With You
by RossLover2012
Summary: Ally is spending the summer home with her father and her new step mother and her daughter. If that wasn't bad enough, her new step sister comes home with her new boyfriend, that just so happens to be Ally's ex boyfriend from high school, Austin. They didn't end things on a good note and well, Ally is far from over him. How will this summer unfold? OOC AUSLLY GIVE IT A TRY!
1. Chapter 1

**Here's the start of my new story. I really hope you like it. I promise to finish it! :) review please!**

On my way back home to my father's new beach house in Miami, I can't help but feel nervous. I just completed my junior year of college in New York, and now I'm going home to my 'new' family. My father re-married a couple months ago and his wife has a daughter my age. I guess she goes to some school in California and is staying with us for the summer also. Therefore my father and step mother decided to rent this giant beach house for us all to stay in.

I don't know why we couldn't all just stay at my father's house, since we have always lived in Miami anyway but apparently this will be a good way for us all to get to know each other, which is going to be so awkward. I mean, I'm meeting them for the first time and they are already a part of my family. But I'm not mad at my father over this, I know he's happy and that makes me happy.

When my plane finally lands and we all make our way out, I scan the busy airport for my father. After what seems like forever, I finally spot him standing beside a beautiful blonde woman. Well played dad, well played.

He waves frantically at me, so I run over, dropping my bags and embrace him in a tight hug. I haven't been home since Christmas and I only had coffee with him. On spring break I went to Maine with some friends, so it has been quite a while since I've seen him.

"Hello sweetie!"

"Hi dad, I've missed you." I mumble into his shoulder.

"I've missed you too!" he says as he lets go.

He turns to Renee, and she's smiling wide at me. Wow, she has perfect white teeth. "Hello Ally, it's so great to finally meet you." She says and pulls me in for a hug.

I found it a tad bit awkward but it's not like I was going to push her away, "You too." I say lowly and hug her back quickly.

"I can't wait until you see the house. It's beautiful!" My father exclaims.

"Oh yes, it's huge!" Renee blurts out.

"I can't wait."

()()()()()()

The house was beautiful and right on the beach. It had so many rooms with a lot of windows. It was like something you see only on television. I don't know how my father could ever afford it so I'm going to assume that Renee is renting it. She dresses like she's a movie star and she must definitely pay a lot for her hair and nails.

After a small tour, I picked one of the rooms upstairs and put my bags on the bed. I walk over to the sliding glass door and walk out onto my own personal deck with the view of the water. Now I could get used to this.

I walk back downstairs and join my father and Renee in the kitchen. There's a bar right in the middle that my father is sitting at and Renee has an apron on and is cutting up different types of fruit. My father pats the seat beside him and I take it.

"So they should be getting here any time." Renee announces.

I look at them confused, "They?"

My father nods, "Yes Bailey and her boyfriend."

"They met at college and have been going out for the past six months and she asked if he could stay with us this summer and I thought I would be a splendid idea!" Renee says happily.

"Oh that's cool." I say. I really hope this Bailey girl is cool. It would suck not getting along with her all summer. But she will probably just be busy with her boyfriend. I guess that will be good for me then.

After talking a bit with them and eating delicious fruit, we hear a car pull in. Renee practically runs to the front of the house leaving my father and me alone. "Have you met her?" I ask him.

"Yes a few times. I think you'll like her." He says.

"Lester, can you come help with bags?" Renee yells from outside.

I follow him outside to the car. They are all in front of the trunk with their backs to us. All I can see is a lot of blonde. Bailey's hair is to her lower back and as blonde as her mothers, and then I see her boyfriends hair. It's shaggy and blonde, past his ears. God, I know I've seen that hair before. I couldn't ever forget that hair. But it can't be… Please don't let it be. And then he turns around, and our eyes lock and both widen at the same time.

"Um I have to go inside to look for a thing I forgot." I say and then trip over one of the decorative rocks in the front yard and fall on my hands and knees.

"Are you okay?" My father asks, rushing to my side.

I stand up and brush my hands together, "Fine." I mumble and run as fast as I can into the house.

I dart up the stairs and into my room, slamming the door shut behind me. I pace back and forth and shove a big piece of hair into my mouth and start chewing on it, a nervous habit I haven't done since senior year in high school. Maybe that's because I haven't seen this boy since I was a senior. I haven't seen him since we broke up the summer after we graduated because I was going to New York and he was going to California; the day my heart shattered in to a million pieces and stayed that way.

This can't be happening. He can't be Bailey's boyfriend. He can't be staying here all summer. I can't be staying here all summer too. I can't be near him.

"Bailey?" A voice from outside my door appears.

"What are you doing? Are you okay? You are being sort of rude…" my father says.

"I'm sorry, I'll be right down." I tell him.

I stop in front of the mirror that's hanging behind my door and look myself over. I haven't changed much since high school. I'm still short and tiny, but I guess my face has aged a bit. My hair is long and curled like always. And not much has changed about Austin either, except maybe he's worked out a bit more. God this is awful.

I take a deep breath and open the door. I walk slowly down the stairs. I can hear everyone talking from the kitchen. I take another breath and walk in. Austin and Bailey both look up at me, and my father is also eyeing my suspiciously. Renee is clueless in front of the stove.

"Hi!" Bailey says and runs over to me, giving me a big hug. God, she's skinny and tall and beautiful; complete opposite of me.

"Hi…" I barely get out.

"This is my boyfriend Austin." She says, walking back to him and putting her hand on his shoulder. Just the sight of her touching him makes my stomach turn upside down.

Austin just stares at me. Like literally, just sits there and stares at me, "Um Austin?" She says, nudging him.

He looks up at her and then at me, "Hi Alls." He says. I can't stop the horrible pain in my gut when he says that. He called me Als, the nick name he called me all through high school. The nick name I haven't allowed anyone to know about since.

"Austin…" Lester says, and that's when he realizes who he is… and we all stay silent.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, thanks so much for all the reviews already. You guys make me continue writing. Love you all !**

"What's going on?" Bailey asks, looking at Austin and then to me.

"Ally and I used to date." Austin says nonchalantly.

"What?" Renee asks, shocked.

"Yes, in high school." I announce.

"Oh." Bailey says, looking down at her feet.

"Is this going to be an issue? I mean, in high school, that was years ago. Surely you're both over it." Renee says. Yeah, maybe one of us….

Austin looks at me again and I look away, "Right." I say. "Well I have un packing to do. It was great to meet you Bailey." I say with a smile.

"Ally…" My father starts.

"I am A- okay father." I say and wink at him before skipping out of the room. Yep, I'm a bad liar.

I take my stuff out of my suit case and fold it nicely before putting it into the dresser. It's dark now, and I'm pretty sure I've been doing this for hours. Such a simple task that I'm making last a lifetime. Anything is better than going downstairs and seeing him.

I wonder how he's feeling right now. Well I guess he's feeling way better than I am since he's moved on. Is this even his first girlfriend since we broke up? I highly doubt it. Yeah, I haven't been with anyone since him. It's not that I didn't get plenty of opportunities. It's just that fact that every time I got close to someone I started comparing them to Austin, and then realize I don't really like them. I sound so crazy. Is this even normal?

Austin and I met in eighth grade and became instant best friends. We started dating freshman year until the summer after we graduated and reality hit us. We were going to separate schools, _far_ away from each other. We were going to be so busy; we would never have the proper time for each other. I had so many musical events that I wouldn't even be able to leave on my breaks and how would we afford all those plane tickets? It was his idea to just break it off after a long argument about it and I just agreed because I didn't want him to be unhappy, even though it meant me being the unhappy one.

A knock on my door interrupts my thoughts. I walk over and open it, revealing Austin. My heart starts to race as he looks down at me, his face the same as it was earlier, "Hi." He says.

"Hi." I reply.

"Can we talk?" He asks.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not Als?" He asks.

"Don't call me that." I snap at him and his face turns red.

"I'm sorry it's just habit." He says and shrugs. But I stay quiet.

"Look, I know this is weird." He starts.

"You think… My step sister… Come on."

"I didn't know! She only ever talked about her mother. She just said she married a guy a couple months ago. How would I know it was your dad? Like I really thought it would be him out of all the people in the world." He's right. It's not his fault. This is just a horrible coincidence.

"Austin?" Bailey asks as she comes around the corner and notices us in the doorway.

"Hey. We were just talking." He says.

"Well dinners ready, let's go you two!" She says and grabs him by the arm pulling him downstairs.

I follow them down and sit between Austin and my father. Ugh. I guess Renee is this really good cook, that's all my father ever says about her. I can tell she likes to cook since that's all she's been doing today. She made some sort of baked chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. It smells wicked good actually.

We start passing everything around and I take a scoop of potatoes before passing it to Austin. He smiles slightly and takes some. When we get to the green beans I hover past him and try handing them to Bailey. "You forgot Austin." She says.

"Oh I…" He starts.

"Austin hates green beans." I say and shrug.

Bailey takes the bowl and her face goes blank, "Oh. I didn't know that."

Austin and I stay quiet and everything turns awkward until my father starts talking about sports. That's him for you, always a life saver.

After dinner is done I offer to do the dishes, which made Renee very happy with me. She went on and on about how Bailey has never ever offered to do the dishes and then went out on the porch with my father. I put all of the dishes in the sink and started soaking them as I put the already clean ones away.

When I'm half way done, Austin walks in and walks by me to the refrigerator. I try to pretend I didn't notice him but when he walks by again he stops next to me and leans his back on the counter, sipping from his water bottle.

"So, you remembered about the green beans huh?" He asks.

"How could I forget the time in eighth grade you made yourself throw up so you wouldn't have to eat them that night at dinner? I told your mother about it and then she never served them again." I say, causing us both to laugh.

"Well, at least I didn't just feed all my carrots to the dog. I'm surprised Otis never turned orange." He says.

I laugh, "Me too." Why am I talking with him like this? I shouldn't be. I should be distancing myself from him…

"You look good Ally." He says lowly.

I accidently drop one of the plates in the sink and it breaks into a hundred pieces. "Shit." I say.

I start grabbing a couple, not thinking, and slice my palm right open. "Oh god…" I say as the blood starts to gush.

"Ally…" Austin says cautiously, throwing his water bottle down and grabbing a dish towel. He takes my wrist gently and wraps it around my hand, "Don't look at it."

"I'm fine…" I say, but look away. The sight of blood makes me want to pass out.

"It's really deep. You should go to the hospital." He says. But all I can think of his touch. He touched my wrist and is now holding on to the towel on my hand. I can't handle it…

"Just stop Austin, I'm okay. I'll just drive myself."

"It's not safe for you to do that; it's your right hand." He says.

Renee and my father come in then, "What's going on?" My father asks, both of them eyeing my hand.

"I accidently broke a plate and then cut myself on it." I state.

"Oh god, it's a good thing you covered it up." My father says to Austin. Bailey came in a moment ago and is just standing there.

"Why?" Renee asks.

"Ally can't handle the sight of blood too well." My father replies.

"It's a deep cut; she needs to go to the hospital." Austin says.

"I'll take her." My father offers.

Austin looks down at me and I can tell he's worried about me, and I can't stand it. "Yes." I say. My father takes my hand from Austin's. Austin looks down at me once more before he walks over beside Bailey who wraps her arm around his waist.

We are quiet on the way to the hospital and after a couple hours of waiting in the emergency room, they finally take me and give me some stitches. My father felt so bad that we stopped at my favorite frozen yogurt place on the way home. He orders me strawberry with sprinkles on it and we take a seat in front of the window.

"So Ally, it's just you and me." He says.

I take a bite and set my spoon down, "Yeah?"

"How do you really feel about Austin being here?"

I sigh, "You know how I feel… felt about him."

"Yes, and that's why I'm worried about this whole situation."

"It will be okay. We are adults now, we can handle it." I say.

"I don't know… maybe this summer was a bad idea."

"Look dad, I know how much this means to you and Renee. Everything will be fine. I'm keeping my distance."

He laughs, "It didn't look like it in the kitchen."

I swirl my spoon around in my melting yogurt, "Yeah because he approached me."

"Which is what I'm worried about."

"What are you talking about?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing, just let me know if something happens that I should know about, okay?"

"Okay dad."

()()()()()

When we get home Renee looks my bandage hand over, calls me clumsy (which is true) and I go upstairs to my room. I realize I haven't put the sheets on my bed which is going to be a little difficult when I can barely use my right hand.

I stare at the naked bed and then the nicely folded sheets on the chair. I sigh and attempt to put them on. Ten minutes later I have the bottom sheet on and I'm already too tired to do the rest. I sit down on the floor and the end of the bed and sigh. What a day.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning I go through one of my bags I hadn't unpacked and a picture of me and Austin when we first started dating falls out of one of my small boxes. I sigh and pick it up. We were so young, and innocent and happy. I miss those days. Everything was just so simple and then we grew up and everything fell apart.

"Hey." I turn towards the door and Bailey is standing there. I shove the picture back into the box and stand up facing her.

"Hey."

"Austin and I are going to hang out by the water, do you want to come?" She asks. She's being really cool about this and I don't know if I should be worried or not.

"Oh, thanks but I should just finish unpacking."

"Okay, well if you get done soon we'll be down there." She says with a smile and waves goodbye as she walks away. How am I supposed to like her when she's dating Austin? I know it's not her fault, but I can't stop the feelings I have towards her; jealousy, hate, envy… I don't know…

()()()()

"So Ally, how is college in New York?" Renee asks at dinner.

I twirl a piece of pasta around. She made some sort of chicken alfredo stuff. Man, I hope we don't have chicken every night… "It's good."

"Your father says you go there for music?" She asks. I nod in response and that's the end of that conversation.

"Austin, you've hardly touched your food." Bailey announces.

He looks up at us like he just noticed we're all here, "Oh, sorry I'm just not that hungry I guess."

"Well that's okay, save plenty of room for dessert because I made strawberry shortcake!" She says happily.

I feel like throwing up my food back onto my plate. Strawberry shortcake just brings back way too many memories. "Um I think I'll pass, excuse me." I say and get up. I hear Austin say he isn't hungry enough for it either as I leave the dining room.

I plop down on my bed and stare up at the ceiling. I'll never forget the summer after our freshman year; Austin took me out on a picnic to celebrate our one year. He made everything; sandwiches, homemade chips, even the bread was home made. Getting Austin to cook like that was a chore and a half, so for him to just do it on his own, I knew I was special to him. He even packed my favorite jar of pickles.

He took me to this beautiful waterfall and we set up the blanket on this giant rock. After we were done eating he took out the strawberry shortcake he made. It was so delicious. It was the best picnic ever, and the night he told me he loved me. From then on, we had that dessert for every anniversary.

Tears run down the sides of my face as I think of it, such a beautiful memory then, but not anymore. Someone clears their throat and I turn my head. Austin is standing in the doorway. God why can't he just stay away from me? I'm trying, I really am. But everything is reminding me of those days.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

I wipe the sides of my face as I sit up, "Austin I'm fine."

"You don't seem it."

"Please Austin…" I beg.

He comes in and shuts the door behind him. He walks over and stands at the end of the bed, "Why are you upset?"

"Austin you should go…"

"Is it because of the dessert?" He asks.

"Isn't Bailey waiting for you?"

"Did it remind you of our picnic?" He asks, staring right at me.

"You should really go." I say as I stand up and walk toward the door but he grabs my wrist and stops me. His touch sends instant tears to my eyes. Do you know how long I've craved his touch again?

"It still upsets you, after all this time?" He whispers.

I stay frozen. I can't let him know that it does. I can't let him see I'm pathetic and weak and not over him after all these years when he's moved on. I take my wrist of out his grip and walk to the door, opening it slowly, "I'm fine, just leave please." I whisper.

"I don't believe you." He says as he walks out.

I shut the door behind him and walk over to my bed. I lie down in a fetal position and a thousand things run through my head. I'm not over him and I don't think I ever will be. But for the sake of my father and my new family, I have to at least pretend to be.

()()()()()

A couple days have gone past and Austin has left me alone. I have pre-occupied myself with helping Renee with the dishes and randomly re-organizing my room just to get away from everybody. Austin and Bailey have been going to the beach a lot and doing other couple like things. And well so have my father and Renee. I didn't know I was going to be a fifth wheel all summer…

When I go downstairs, I don't expect to see what I see. My father and Austin are sitting on the coach watching television and talking about sports, laughing and smiling. Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. They have always gotten along. But after everything that happened…

"Where are Bailey and Renee?" I ask.

"They went on a mother daughter day thing." My father says.

"Oh." I say and walk into the kitchen.

I rummage through the refrigerator and freezer and settle on making a frozen waffle. I stand over the toaster and wait for it to pop up. I hear someone walk in behind me but I ignore them. Finally, it pops up and I jump through my skin. I hear laughter from behind me. I turn around and Austin's sitting at the bar, "You used to do that all the time. I'll never understand why it still makes you jump, I mean you stare right at it and you know it's going to happen."

I glare at him and take my waffle out and put it on my plate, smothering it in butter and maple syrup. I take a seat at the other end of the bar instead of the seat right next to him and start to eat. "So how's your hand doing?" He asks. Ugh he was doing so well staying away from me.

I look at my bandaged hand and shrug, "Feels okay to me."

"That's good." He says.

My father walks in then and grabs his car keys. My eyes widen, "Where do you think you're going?" I ask.

"I have a day away from Renee! I want to go do manly things." He says.

"Like what?" I ask.

"A couple of my buddies and I are going golfing. I'll be back later!" he says and heads towards the door.

"But dad…" I say.

He looks at Austin and then at me and looks like he almost regrets his decision to leave us alone but waves goodbye and leaves anyway. Well I did tell him we were adults and could handle this on our own so I guess this is my fault.

After a few moments of silence, he speaks up, "So, do you have a boyfriend back at college?"

I turn my face to him and his face is blank, "No." I say blankly.

"Oh, when was the last time you had one?" He asks curiously. Why is he even asking this? Should I lie, or should I tell him the truth?

I shrug and he smirks, "Come on, you can tell me. What was his name?"

"Austin Moon." I blurt out and I see his expression completely change.

"Alls… I mean Ally…"

"Save it Austin, its fine." I tell him as get up and wash my plate in the sink before going upstairs to my room.

I hear a buzzing suddenly and I don't know where it's coming from. I rummage through my bed, and then under my bed until I finally realize it's my phone on the window sill. I look at the collar I.D and it's Trish, my best friend since kindergarten.

"Hey Trish, what's up?"

"Oh you know, enjoying my summer being stuck on campus." She moans. She goes to school in Oregon and she couldn't afford to fly home this summer, which completely sucks. But she has a few summer programs she's doing there anyways.

"You think your life sucks." I mumble.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"So you know how my step sister Bailey is here too?"

"Yes." She says, "Go on."

"Well she brought home her boyfriend too." I sigh.

"And he's totally hot?"

"He's Austin…" I say, and the other end of the phone is silent. "Trish?" I finally ask after the silence was too much.

"You're joking." She deadpans.

"Oh Trish I wish I was. I so wish I was."

"Are you okay? Who am I kidding, you're not. What are you going to do?" She asks.

"I don't know. It's so hard Trish. Seeing him again, and being around him. He called me Als. He told me I looked good and then I cut my hand on a broken plate."

"Wow, you two have not changed." She laughs.

I sigh and lie down on my bed, shutting my eyes, "I don't know what to do Trish."

"What's the girl look like?" She asks.

"Bailey? She's tall, blonde and beautiful; complete opposite of me."

"That's good!" She squeals.

"Excuse me?"

"Well he doesn't date anyone that looks like you because they would remind him of you too much."

"I doubt that."

"Hmm, you never know."

"Yeah I don't know anything Trish."

"Well, call me whenever you need me! I have to go; I'm going out to breakfast with a few other kids that are stuck here. Let me know when you two get back together!"

"That's never going to happen. Goodbye Trish."

I stay where I am for a while, thinking about our conversation. Could the whole dating someone opposite of me be true? Or is Trish just giving me false hope?


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews everyone! You guys rock. I think i might wait until i get at least fifteen new reviews before posting the next chapter though :P haha 3**

It's only been a week and a half since I got here and I have realized this is going to be the longest summer of my life. Some would think that I'd want a long summer because well, summer is awesome, but not this one. No way. I would rather be stuck at college like Trish. In fact, if I knew this was going to happen I would have just stayed in New York. But I can't just leave now, that would just make it look like I am upset over this. Even though I am, but you know… Wow I'm so complicated.

This morning at breakfast is one of the worse mornings yet. Austin and Bailey are being so love-y dove-y and it's making me sick. They are even feeding each other fruit, like come on…

"So what is on everyone's agenda for today?" Renee asks.

"Austin and I are going on a picnic!" Bailey squeals. I don't know why I bother eating in this house because something always makes me nauseated.

Austin looks at me instantly, his face slightly pained, "Yeah. It was all her idea." He says to us, but I know who he's really saying it to…

"That's so cute." Renee says. No, not at all actually.

"What are you doing today Ally?" My father asks.

"Probably just go lay out by the beach." I say.

"Yeah, get your tan on!" Bailey says.

Austin laughs and I shoot him a glare, "I don't really tan." I say. Yeah, I'm kind of pale as a ghost.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to try huh?" Bailey says and smiles.

"Renee and I are going out tonight. A couple friends of ours are having a party." My father says.

"Cool." Bailey says, "We get the house to ourselves!"

"No parties…" Renee warns, causing Bailey to pout.

()()()()

I rummage through my different bikinis and decide on my red one. Why did I choose this one? No reason… Or maybe it's because Austin always loved when I wore red. I slip it on and grab my beach towel and one of my books and throw them into my tote bag. I put on my flip flops and leave my room. As I'm walking down the stairs, Austin is walking up them. He notices me right away and his eyes go wide for just a second.

"Hey." He says.

"Hi." I say and we both stop.

He looks past me, and then at his feet, completely avoiding my body and I can't help but giggle to myself; in my head of course. "So you're really going to try to tan?"

"Yeah… You're really going on a picnic?" I ask.

He nods, and then finally looks me in the eye, "I'm not cooking anything for it." He says and a small smile appears on his face. Ugh.

I catch him looking me up and down and he rubs his hands through his hair, "God Ally…"

"What?" I ask.

"Austin I'm ready!" Bailey yells from downstairs.

"Nothing, uh have fun." He says and practically runs back down the stairs. I lean against the railing and chew on my hair. What was he going to say? Did he still find me attractive? I know I still do. I remember the first time I realized how adorable he really is. We were sitting in math class. He was sat beside me and I was having the hardest time on this stupid test. He could tell, because I was chewing on my pencil, something I did when I was having a hard time.

He took our papers and swapped them, so quick I barely noticed. He was all done, and I was only halfway. I raised my eyebrow at him as he answered all of the questions before swapping them back. 'Austin…' I groaned at him. I was no way a cheater. But then he smiled his amazing, perfect smile at me and poked me on the noise and said, 'don't worry about it Als.' It was about the cutest thing ever and the first time he called me that.

()()()()

After lying out for quite a while and almost finishing my book, I decide to go back home and grab a snack. I hadn't eaten since breakfast and well, that wasn't much. I pack up my stuff and walk back to house. It was empty, which I expected. Renee and my father were going shopping before the party and well Bailey and Austin were probably still on their… date.

I put my stuff upstairs and change real quick before going to the kitchen and making myself a turkey sandwich. After I'm down with about half of it, I hear the door open and then voices. Austin and Bailey walk into the kitchen, smiling from ear to ear. Bailey skips over to the refrigerator and grabs a drink. Austin follows her and his smile fades when he sees me.

"Hey Ally!" Bailey says.

"Hello." I say with food still in my mouth causing her to giggle.

"Isn't today just a beautiful day!?" She squeals.

I look out the window, "Uh, it's about the same as it was yesterday." I say and shrug.

She giggles, "Not the weather silly."

Austin just stares at her and now I'm starting to get scared… "Oh… You're extra happy." I say.

"Bailey let's go for a walk or something…" Austin says before she can respond.

She looks at him curiously, "You're silly, and I'm tired. I think I'll go take a nap."

"Okay." He says.

She walks over and kisses him on the cheek, "Okay, I love you! It feels so great to say it." She says with a grin and runs away. Austin is standing there, frozen. I'm sitting here, frozen with my sandwich in my hand.

Did they… did she just say… the L word…

I set my sandwich down and pick up the plate, throwing it into the garbage. I walk by Austin and he grabs my upper arm, stopping me from walking away. God why does he keep doing that? "Ally, please."

"What Austin?" I ask, keeping my cool like nothing's wrong, even though I am completely dead on the inside now.

"Are you okay?" He asks, searching my face. Don't let him be able to read me… please.

"I am so okay. I'm so happy for you. Love, cool!" I say. Wow, that wasn't convincing.

"You're a horrible liar."

"All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, and you are, so I'm happy too." I tell him, which was half the truth.

"I don't think you are."

"I have to go." I say, and walk out of the kitchen, through the living room and out the front door. I sit down on the steps and cover my mouth as I sob, loudly and heavily. I don't care if anybody hears me. I need this moment of weakness. I'm exhausted from trying to be strong. He loves somebody else. He's told someone else he loves them, and this may not be the first time. I can imagine how many girls he's probably touched, slept with, and said all these things to them that he used to say to me. And I have done all of that with only one guy. I'm pathetic.


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow guys, i cannot believe all of the reviews i got since last night. You are all so awesome! Your kind words and reviews keep me going! Keep it up and i'll try to update really quick! I'm so glad you like this story as much as i do. I keep writing and writing because i'm really inspired. Thanks again (:**

"He told her he loves her?" Trish asks, shocked.

"They are L-O-V-E in love." I say, lying in my phone call position on my bed.

"I don't believe that for a second."

"Well believe it because I heard it and then he was all like 'are you okay' and trying to be all nice." I complain.

"He asked if you were okay with it."

"Well in a way, yes." I admit.

"Then he totally still cares about you. Because if he didn't he wouldn't be so concerned about how your feeling."

"Yeah well what would he do if I told him I did care?" I ask.

"I don't know, but maybe that's what you should do."

I sit up then, "No way. I can't ruin things between him and Bailey. She's my step sister and she's actually really nice which makes things worse."

"I don't care how nice she is. He was yours first. You have so much history. And by the things you are telling me he does, it seems pretty obvious he still cares about you. And now you are reunited and it's like fate or something."

"Fate… I don't believe in that." I tell her.

"Well this seems like it. Come on Ally."

"I can't Trish. I just can't." I sigh.

()()()()()()()

I really wish I could enjoy all of these amazing home cooked meals that Renee makes, but I'm just never hungry enough; maybe because I have to sit next to or across from Austin every night. I mean it's not like looking at him makes me sick, because he is the most attractive person I've ever met. But you know what I'm saying…

"So, tomorrow is the fourth of July and we have decided to throw a party!" Renee squeals.

"Awesome!" Bailey replies back. Man they are a lot alike.

"A bunch of our friends are coming over and you guys can invite anyone you want. We're going to barbeque and then there's going to be fireworks down the road that we can see from here. It's going to be the best!" Renee goes on.

"That's cool." I say as enthusiastically as I could.

"Yes, awesome." Austin says.

"I have to buy a new dress!" Bailey says suddenly. I think she has plenty of them…

"So do I." Renee agrees and then turns to me, "Ally, you should come with us tomorrow morning and I'll buy you something new too!"

I practically choke on my bite of spaghetti, "Oh, I couldn't… That's okay…"

"Please! We haven't had any sister bonding time!" Bailey says. Wow, kill me now… Aliens, if you are to ever abduct me, it can be now. I swear I won't complain.

I look over at my dad and he nods at me. I know he would want me to spend time with them. I guess I should at least try… "Okay." I say with a smile.

"Awesome!" Bailey and Renee say at once. I look at Austin but he's just looking down at his food, poking at it with his fork.

()()()()()

The next morning comes fast, and I'm nervous. I haven't been alone with them before. And I'm totally not into shopping but I didn't want to tell them that and be rude. What if Bailey only talks about Austin all day? Oh god what if she talks about their sex life or something? Oh no; I don't even want to think of them doing that.

Austin and I's first time was the end of our sophomore year. It wasn't really planned, it just sort of happened. We were home alone at his house, down in his finished basement. We were watching a movie and just weren't into it. It was a very boring movie. So we starting making out. It was way more passionate and heated than any of our other make out sessions. And well one thing led to another... I thought I'd feel weird after it, but the only thing I felt was more in love with him.

"Are you ready?" Bailey asks from my door frame. I was just sitting on my bed, dressed and waiting.

"Yes." I tell her and follow her downstairs.

Renee is waiting at the door and Austin and my father are on the coach. We wave goodbye and I follow them outside and into Renee's Mercedes. They put the sun roof down and played music that they sang along to all the way to the mall that's about half hour away. It was so obnoxious but kind of cool all at the same time. I wish I was close with my mother like that, but she was always gone away on business and is currently living in Africa.

"So Ally, have you ever been to this place?" Renee asks, nodding her head to a very expensive looking clothing store.

"No." I say

"Well, they have the cutest sundresses!" Bailey says as we all walk in.

After walking around the store and each of us picking out about ten dresses each to try on, we go into the dressing rooms. I try on this blue flowered tube top dress on first and walk out in front of the mirror. I see behind me Bailey walk out in a light pink baby doll one and she looks beautiful. She never wears any makeup, and she has long blonde wavy hair that she never does anything to. She doesn't even have to try to look good.

"You look great." I tell her.

She smiles at me and twirls around in the mirror, "Thank you. So do you!" she replies.

I picked out a plane white one with lace and the blue flowered one and Renee insisted on buying them for me. I couldn't believe the price after all of our dresses. They even made me buy a couple pairs of fancy flip flops. I actually had a really great time, and they are really nice.

When we got hungry, Renee went to the hair salon to get her hair done and Bailey and I went to the food court. We each get a slice of pizza and sit down in the middle of the crowd. After a few bites, Bailey speaks up and I'm suddenly nervous to be alone with her, "So how long did you and Austin date?"

Oh god, "The end of eighth grade until the summer after we graduated." I tell her.

"Wow, that's a long time." She says and takes another bite of her pizza.

"Yes."

"Why did you guys break up?" She asks and I swallow hard. She smiles and shakes her head, "Sorry, I don't mean to be weird. I probably shouldn't even be asking you these questions. I was just curious."

"It's okay. We broke up because he was going to college in Cali and I was going to New York. We had a fight and just ended it." I say, shrugging.

"That sucks. I wouldn't be able to handle a long distance like that either." She says.

I nod and finish my slice but she keeps going, "I just don't want things to be weird…" she says, "Even though they are no matter what, in this situation I guess." She says and laughs nervously.

"I know." I agree.

"Hopefully tonight will be really fun." She says, and I'm thankful she changed the subject.

"Yes; our drunken parents and their drunken friends." I say and we both laugh.


	6. Chapter 6

I put on my white sundress and a pair of black flip flops and straighten my hair for a change. I was going to put make up on but decided against it. I usually just wear a little bit of eye liner but I just don't feel like wearing any tonight. The dress is really tight to me and shows off my small curves. I look at myself in the mirror sideways and sigh.

The party has already started. I can hear a bunch of people downstairs and when I looked out my window all I saw was cars in the driveway. I walk over to my door and open it, revealing Austin and Bailey walking by. Austin is wearing black tight pants and a white dress shirt. He's always looked amazing when he dressed up. I absolutely loved when we'd go to prom and I got to see him in a tux. Bailey is wearing her pink dress and her hair is curlier than usual. They both stop and Austin looks me up and down and smiles.

"You look amazing." Bailey says.

"Thanks, so do you."

"Oh! I forgot something in my room, I'll be right back." She says suddenly and walks away. I clear my throat and play with a bracelet on my wrist. Why did she have to leave us alone?

"Ally… You look beautiful." He says.

I look up at him and there's pain written all over his face. I look at him in question, "Thanks… You look really nice also."

"So, are you okay?" He asks.

"I don't know why you always ask that."

"I just want to know if you are." He says.

"I already told you that I am."

"I just want you to tell me the truth for once. I really want to talk, alone." He mumbles before Bailey comes back. She notices our faces and the weird air between us but shrugs it off before taking Austin's arm and walking down the stairs with him.

I sigh. Maybe we should just talk about it. But what would I say? Oh Austin I'm still not over you after all these years and here you are in love with my step sister. No, that wouldn't be awkward or anything…

The party is in full swing now, Renee and my father's friends are everywhere and most of them are already drunk, which I'm okay with because I remember half of them and I'm sure they'd be up for a chat except their having too much fun. Especially this guy named Greg that has been buddies with my father for years. He's dancing like a crazy person in front of the speakers, and no, he cannot dance.

I spot Austin in the middle of the crowd alone. He looks like he's looking for someone, and when his eyes land on mine I realize I'm the one he's looking for. He nods his head to the left, signaling me to follow him. I shouldn't do this. I need to keep my distance… But a part of me wants to talk to him. I follow him over to the garage. I've never been it. In fact I don't think any of us have.

I walk in behind him and he shuts the door, looks out the little window on it and walks further into the room. It has a bunch of random stuff in it; boxes, and old furniture and I think I even see some bicycles but that's beside the point.

Austin shoves his hands in his pockets and looks at me, "Okay… We're finally alone. Now let's talk."

I shift my weight to my other leg and cross my arms, "About what?"

"You know what."

"I can't say that I do." I say and shrug.

"I want you to tell me how you feel about all of this."

I shrug again, "About what?"

"Listen Ally, don't play dumb with me. You showed me all of your report cards. I know for a fact you're smart and you're smart enough to know what I'm asking."

I sigh, "I don't know what you want from me."

"I want approval!" He half shouts and I'm taken aback by his tone.

"Why do I have to approve of you and her?" I ask.

He runs his hands through his hair, revealing his nervous habit, "Because I'll feel better if you're okay with it."

"Of course I'm okay with it. She's my step sister and she's a nice girl." I say. The first part, is a lie but the second is true.

"Well you sure don't act it." He accuses.

I huff, "How not?"

"Every time something comes up that reminds us of the past you get upset first of all."

"And so do you." I deadpan.

His shoulders slouch a bit, "I know."

"I feel like that is just a natural reaction. We have a lot of history and we haven't seen or talked to each other since then. It's just hard for me, okay." I admit.

"It's hard for me too."

I can't help but laughing and he gives me a dirty look, "Yeah well, it looks like it's much easier on you."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

I walk over to an old exercise machine and run my finger along the dust on top of it, "Oh I don't know, maybe because you're in a relationship and you're in love."

"I didn't know that we weren't supposed to move on." He says.

"We were. That's what we agreed on, but I…" I start but then cut myself off. No Ally, you cannot tell him how you feel… He has Bailey.

"But what Ally?" He asks.

"Nothing, we should get back to the party before someone notices." I start to walk away but he steps in front of me.

"What were you going to say?" He demands.

"I was going to say that that's what we agreed on but I didn't imagine it be with her." I lie.

"Is that what you were really going to say?" He asks. Wow he knows me too well still. I hate it.

"Yes."

He steps closer to me now, and I have to look up at him, "Ally, why haven't you been with anyone else since me?"

I shrug and look down, "Didn't feel like it."

"Ally…"

I look back up at him and glare, "Stop it Austin."

"Tell me."

"Bailey is waiting for you." I murmur.

"Als…" He says and his eyes stay locked on mine.

"What?"

"Are you over me?" He asks, and tears well up in my eyes.

Don't do it… Don't do it Ally… I put my eyes to my shoes, "Yes."

"Look me in the eyes and say it." He whispers back.

I look back up to him and his face is even closer than before, "Yes." I say and look away instantly, biting my lip so hard and fighting back tears.

He takes a step back from me and shoves his hands back in his pockets, "Well that's," he starts and his voice squeaks just a little, "good to hear."

He walks over to the door and stands in front of it for a moment, "I should go," and with that he's gone.

I rest my hand on one of the tall boxes and lean against it and start to cry. He's was right in front of me. He wanted to truth, and I lied in his face. I couldn't tell him. I couldn't do this to Bailey, to my dad. And I thought my heart couldn't hurt more.

**Author's Note: Wow, i'm over a hundred reviews. You are all seriously amazing. I know this story is like kind of depressing for Ally but i'm sure it will get better... right? I've been emotional just writing this chapter and a couple coming up. Keep reviewing my lovely people! (: **


	7. Chapter 7

**So guys... This is one of my favorite chapters. One that i have been dying for you all to read. I feel like you might love/hate me after it. REVIEW REVIEW! :) I love you all.**

When I got myself together, I made my way through the crowd and into the house. It was empty, and I went in the kitchen and grabbed a water before sitting down at the bar, staring at the marble counter. I'm such a mess. I don't know why I'm still here. My father would get over it eventually if I just went back to New York. I mean, I can just visit another time, when Bailey and Austin go back to school.

I hear the door open, but I stay in my position. Bailey comes in and I expect Austin to be with her but he isn't. She walks up to the cabinet and pulls out a package of pop tarts. She looks over at me and frowns "Are you okay?"

I put on a fake smile, "I'm fine, just tired."

"Yeah, Austin went up to his room because he isn't feeling well." She says, taking a seat next to me.

Interesting, he seemed fine earlier, "That sucks."

"I know. The fireworks are soon and a couple people were going out on the boat to watch them and I really wanted to go." She says.

"You should go. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." I tell her.

She eyes the stairs, "You think?"

"Yes." I say.

"Do you want to come?" She asks, finishing her snack.

"No thanks, I'm not really good on boats."

"Ugh that sucks!" She says and stands up, "I'm just going to go tell him and then leave." She says and then looks out the window, "Oh no! They are about to leave. Can you tell him for me?" She asks.

"Oh; sure." I say.

"Thanks Ally!" She says and runs over to me and gives me a quick hug before running out the door.

You've got to be kidding me.

I walk up the stairs and stop In front of Austin's room. Yes, they are sleeping in separate rooms. Very odd if you ask me, but I am totally fine with it. I knock on the door and get no response. I knock again and I hear him murmur 'come in'.

I sigh and open the door. He's laying on the bed, in sweatpants and no shirt. His back is facing me so he still doesn't know who's in here. But I'm too afraid to walk in any further. His back is so toned and muscular, I can't imagine the front. I mean, I know what it looks like but not the really mature, twenty two year old front of Austin…

"Bailey went on the boat to watch the fireworks and wanted me to tell you." I say.

He immediately turns over at the sound of my voice and sits up. Good lord his chest… "Oh okay, thanks."

I turn my attention the opposite side of the room, "Yeah. She said you weren't feeling well."

He shrugs, "Yeah."

"Okay well uh I'm going to go now." I say.

"Do you have to?" He asks and I look at him.

His face is sad and his hair is all messed up. Maybe he really doesn't feel good. "Remember when I didn't feel well and my head hurt, you'd rub my temples and I felt better?" He asks, sounding like his fourteen year old self.

"Yes."

"Can… Can you do that right now?" He asks.

"I'm sure Bailey would do a fine job."

"Nobody can make it go away but you." He says lowly.

"I don't think that's a good idea…"

"Please Ally." He begs.

I sigh and walk over to the bed. I sit down next to him and he rests his head on my lap and I rub his temples slowly. He's acting so vulnerable and young and it's making me melt. His sleepy voice is the sexiest thing I've ever heard, and he's using it on me now after I told him I'm over him. Is this some sort of trick?

"You know, I was thinking earlier of that one Memorial Day when we were sixteen and you had that chorus concert that I was supposed to go to and watch but I got sick and couldn't go?" he says.

"Yeah…"

"And you felt so bad that I wasn't feeling well you skipped it. You _skipped _it. You came to my house and rubbed my head until I fell asleep and you didn't move until the next morning. You're dad was so pissed that you missed it but you didn't care." He said, his voice sounding groggier.

"Austin..."

"I remember thinking; wow this girl is a keeper." I don't say a word, because I want him to stop talking. The first boom of the fireworks starts and I jump a little, causing Austin to laugh.

I stop rubbing his head and he turns over so he's looking up at me. "Why are you saying this to me?" I ask.

"I don't know." He says.

I can see the fireworks out his window, so I focus on those. His forehead felt a bit warm, but I think that's just because it's wicked hot in here. Or maybe I just am feeling hot because his bare shoulders are rested on my exposed legs. All of this skin contact is not good for me.

"Do you like Bailey?" He asks.

I nod, "She's a really nice girl."

"She's really nice, just like you." He says.

"Oh."

"She's my first girlfriend since you, in case you were wondering." He says.

"Okay."

He looks back up at me, "Thank you for doing this."

I'd do anything for you. "No problem."

"You should be happy too." He says.

"What do you mean?"

"You said you want me to be happy, and I want you to be happy."

"I'm okay." I tell him.

"I hope so."

()()()()()()()

At breakfast, Austin and I are silent and I can tell Bailey is suspicious. I don't know what Austin's problem is though. Maybe he still doesn't feel well. "Well, Renee and I are going out shopping. Do you kids want to go?"

"I do!" Bailey says.

"I have some summer reading to do for school." I say

"I still don't feel very well, but you can go Bailey." Austin says.

"Are you sure?" She asks. He nods in response.

Maybe I should randomly change my mind and decide to go, or would that be weird?

After they all leave, Austin is already in his room so I stay down in the living room and flip through the channels on the television. There's nothing good on so I just keep it on the weather channel. The house is too quiet and I'm starting to wonder what Austin is doing up there. He must be sleeping.

I tip toe by his door that is open and I see him seated on the floor; his white tee shirt loose on his body and his hair messier than usual. He's looking at something and I try to make myself taller to look over him, but I'm busted when he turns his head around.

"Hey." He says.

"Oh hi I was just walking by…" I say.

"Come in here." He says.

I walk in and take a seat next to him and am shocked when I see what's in front of him. Lying there on the floor is the necklace he bought me years ago. The most expensive thing he ever bought me. The piece of jewelry I never took off, until that day we broke up and I handed it to him. It's an A with diamonds in it; A for Austin.

"Austin…"

"You look weird without it on." He says and hands it to me.

"I can't wear it."

"Bailey will just think it's A for your name." He says.

"That's not why."

"I know." He says.

"Austin, why are you doing this?" I ask as the necklace hangs from my fingers.

"You know, I shouldn't have told Bailey I love her." He starts.

"Austin." I say sternly.

"I think I just said it because I thought if I did say it out loud that it would be true, that I could love someone else finally. I thought that I could finally be happy saying it, but god I was wrong."

I stand up, "I have to go."

"Alls, don't." He says and stands up in front of me. He rests his hands on my shoulders and slouches down to be eye level, but I look away.

"Don't tell me that you're over me. Tell me the truth." He says.

"I already did." I mumble.

"You looked away too fast Ally; you were biting your lip after. I heard your cries after I left that garage. You're going to tell me that that is you being over me?"

I shake my head vigorously and keep my eyes off of him, but he doesn't let go of me, "Ally. Look at me." He says.

I slowly raise my head up to him and all I can see is the Austin I knew senior year. Tears sting my eyes and I blink, causing a few to fall out. He brings one hand up to my face and wipes away a falling tear with his thumb, "Ally, there's something I need to do." He says before crashing his lips onto mine.

I kiss him back hungrily, my stomach flipping in a hundred directions. I feel like I'm dreaming. But it isn't a dream, it's finally real. He grabs my waist hard and pulls me to him. I moan slightly into his lips and throw my hands into his mop of hair and pull at it lightly, causing him to moan back. We still know everything that gets each other going.

But then a flashback of Bailey appears in my head and I pull away from him and push at his chest lightly and step away from him, "Oh my god." I say and shake my head.

"Ally, I'm sorry." He says, rubbing his hands through his hair.

"You're with Bailey." I say.

"I know."

"She's a nice girl." I say lowly.

"I know."

"She's like pefect." I say.

"But she's not you." He whispers. I cover my mouth with my hands and start to cry. He kissed me; he actually kissed me. He still feels something for me. So why do I feel so awful? Austin takes a step closer to me but I step back.

"I can't do this to Bailey and then make things awkward for my dad and Renee." I tell him, "Just forget this happened okay?"

"Ally… I can't."

"Please Austin… Please." I say and walk out of the room before he can say another word.

I go into my room and shut the door. I lean against it and slide down until I am in a sitting position. I begin to sob silently. What just happened shouldn't have happened. But my god I wanted it so bad. The feeling I got with his lips on mine again was the best feeling I've ever experienced. I can't even explain it.

But that didn't last long when I realized what was really going on, and that he just cheated on Bailey with me. What will happen now? Will he listen to me and try to make it work with Bailey for the sake of the family?


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning I call Trish, and I know I probably shouldn't tell her what went on because she's just going to lecture me, but I really need someone to talk to.

"HE KISSED YOU?" She screams into the phone. I'm out on my balcony, sitting in front of the railing. I can see Austin and Bailey down at the beach with Renee and my father.

"Yes." I groan.

"Goodness Ally what is wrong with you? You two should be having hot make up sex right now."

"Wow Trish you are not helping." I say, shaking my head.

"Well, what happened after he kissed you?"

"I told him he needs to forget about it and stay with Bailey."

"You are nuts." She says simply.

"Thanks."

"Cleary he shouldn't be with her."

"Well he likes her so why not?"

"Because you two should be together."

"Why, so we can both go back to our colleges in a month and then be in the same position as last time?"

She sighs, "Maybe things would be different this time. You could make it work."

"I'm not going to hurt Bailey and then make things weird."

"Ugh" she groans.

"I know."

()()()()()()()()()()()

I don't join them for lunch this afternoon. The very thought of being near Austin or even Bailey sickens me. Yesterday keeps replaying in my head over and over again. I had him back and then gone again in a matter of seconds and that's my fault. I know it is. But it is better off this way. We are just feeling this way because we haven't seen each other in so long. I can't let him throw away what he has just for us to break it off again when we go back to college.

My father appears in the doorway and notices me sitting on my bed, hugging my legs to myself. He walks over and sits on the end of the bed, "Is there something you should be telling me?" He asks.

I shake my head. I know I told him I would tell him if something happened but I really don't want to tell him this. He sighs and pats me on the head, "I can tell something is wrong."

"Don't worry, everything is okay." I tell him.

"Well, we are all going shopping. Do you want to come?"

I shake my head, "I'm tired. I'll just stay here."

"Okay." He says and sighs before walking out the door. I wish I could spend time with them, I really do.

I hear the car pull out eventually, so I walk downstairs and make a sandwich and go out on my balcony. There are a bunch of people at the beach, enjoying themselves. I watch a young girl play fetch with her German shepherd over and over again until my foods gone. Eventually, the girl stops and the family pack up and go home, which is when I hear the car pull up in the driveway. I can't believe they are home already. This day went by really quick.

I walk into the kitchen as Renee and my father and walking in with a bunch of groceries. I wait for Austin and Bailey to appear behind them but they don't. I raise an eyebrow at my struggling father and step mother as they set the bags down on the counter, "Where are the other two?" I ask.

"They stayed in town and were going out to dinner." Renee says. Austin must really be making it work with Bailey. I guess that is good, I mean, it is what I wanted, right?

I spend the rest of the night helping Renee make dinner and then clean up after. We made tacos and they were delicious. I was happy to finally be able to eat a whole meal. I was hoping that they didn't notice. My father knows me very well, so I'd imagine he did but decided not to bring it up.

We made a mess with all of the different ingredients, so it takes us a while to clean it all up. It's pretty late and I know that Renee just wants to go upstairs with my father so I tell her to go and that I'd do the rest of the dishes. She squeezes me on the shoulder and tells me I'm a great girl before taking off her apron and walking away. I smile at her back; she really is a great woman.

As I start the dishes I have a flash back of cutting my hand open. I look at it and examine the wound. I got my stitches taken out a couple days ago so it's just a scar for now. I sigh and think of how Austin covered it quickly so I wouldn't pass out. He remembers everything about me.

When I'm finally done with the dishes I'm wiping down the counter when Austin and Bailey come in. Bailey comes in and says hi, and Austin stays behind her quiet. He hasn't made very long eye contact with me since our kiss. I don't blame him, "Hey Bailey." I say.

"So we met some awesome kids tonight and they invited us to this big bonfire down at the beach tomorrow night. You have to go." She says.

Austin's eye widen at the back of her head. I put the rag away and shrug, "That's okay. I'm not really into parties."

Bailey comes up to me then and grabs my hand, "Please please please!" Oh god.

"Okay okay." I say and squeeze her hand.

"Awesome!" She says and runs out of the room.

I look at Austin as he grabs an apple off of the counter in front of me. He finally looks at me and his face is blank, "Night Ally."

His tone, and his face makes me stomach drop, and I'm not sure why, "Goodnight."

()()()()()()()()()

This is such a bad idea. I should not be going to this party, but she begged me to and it's hard to say no to her. I mean I can just stay away from them I guess, and then say I'm too tired and go home early, yeah that sounds good.

I throw on my white lacey dress and put my hair up in a messy bun. I put on some eyeliner and clear lip gloss before throwing on my tan flip flops. I don't know why I'm bothering to get dressed up, but I don't want to look like I don't care about my appearance.

Bailey comes and gets me from my room when she's ready and we meet Austin at the door. I look at him but force myself to look away. His hair is getting longer, and it's so blonde and shaggy. His baggy black tee shirt and ripped jeans look perfect on him, and he smells like heaven; like usual. Wow this sucks.

We walk along the beach to the fire. It takes us about ten minutes, but I could hear the music from it before we even started. The fire is huge, and there are people everywhere; young adults and teenagers, ones I've never even seen before.

I follow the two of them over to the drinks. I know I'm of age but I just don't usually drink. I'll have some wine every once in a while but I just don't care for alcohol. Bailey grabs her and Austin a drink and we head over to a group of kids that must be the ones they met last night. There are three boys and two girls. The boys are all black haired, tall and skinny. One has really beautiful green eyes and he's pretty tan.

"Everyone, this is my step sister Ally." Bailey says.

They all wave and say hello and I do the same. The green eyed boy shakes my hand, "I'm Mark."

"Hey." I say and take his hand.

After a while of everyone chatting, Mark asks if he can get me a drink. I automatically want to decline, but it's a good way to get away from Austin so I agree. As we're walking away, I look back for a second and Austin is just frozen, staring at us. I shrug it off and go to the table full of different drinks. After a while, I finally find canned soda. Mark tries to get me to loosen up and have a beer but I refuse.

"I don't really drink." I tell him.

"I guess there's nothing wrong with that." He says and laughs.

We walk over to a picnic table and chat. He tells me how he's going to school at the community college and that he loves to party. I'm pretty bored after ten minutes until I see Austin and Bailey heading our way. He waves them over and they sit across from us. I guess I should try to pretend to have a good time now.

"What were you two talking about?" Austin asks and I give him a puzzled look.

"I was telling her about my partying life." Mark says proudly. Goodness gracious…

"So you like to party huh?" Bailey asks.

"Yes, when I'm not in class of course." He says.

"What are you going to school for?" I ask.

He grins, "To be a doctor."

"Ooh." I say and smile at him. I think he's a little more attractive now…

He punches me in the arm, "But your music program sounds awesome."

"Huh, nah, it's not like I'm going to be saving lives with my piano." I say.

"I bet you're really good. You look like the type that would be." He says and winks.

"She is really good." Austin states, his voice harsh. Bailey looks at him with an eyebrow raised and so do I.

"So how long ago did you and Bailey become step sisters?" Mark asks.

I look at Bailey in question and she shrugs, "Six months ago maybe? But we just meet this summer since we are all on break from school."

"Nice, and how long have you and Austin been together?" he asks.

Bailey laughs, "About six months."

"So Ally what do you think of Austin then? Are you protective over Bailey?" he asks and teases.

I laugh nervously, "Well I've known Austin for a while…"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, it's a long story." Bailey says.

"We've known each other since middle school." Austin states.

"Oh that's cool. I give you props for being able to stay friends that long. I don't even talk to anybody from my high school anymore." He says.

"Yeah enough about the past," I say, "So do people throw these kinds of parties every night?"

He laughs, "Of course."

"That sounds exhausting." I say.

"Oh come on, they are fun."

"Ally isn't a party girl." Austin says and this time I glare at him.

"Just because I don't drink doesn't mean I can't have fun." I say and stand up, pulling on Marks arm.

"Want to dance?" I ask.

He grins and sets down his beer before pulling me over to the music and the big crowd. The people are all dancing and having a great time with each other, so I attempt to do the same. I can't dance very well, so I just sort of sway to the music. Mark is a decent dancer, but nothing compared to Austin. He used to take hip hop dance classes in high school and I went to all of his shows; they were amazing.

Mark rests his hands on my hip and I realize it's a slow song. I awkwardly wrap my arms around his shoulders. I don't usually get this close with a guy I just met, but I'm an adult, and I'm single. I should have some fun shouldn't I?


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay guys, this is chapter is big, as in big and important in this story... like wow yeah... Anyways. ENJOYYYYY. And thanks for the reviews. Love ya'll.**

I wake up to a loud noise outside of my door. The sun is shining bright and it must be the afternoon. I didn't get home until late last night from the party. Mark walked me home and was really sweet. He didn't try anything on me which I appreciated. He didn't even get drunk which surprised me since he's this big party animal apparently. Austin and Bailey left at least an hour earlier than me. Austin was acting really weird and wanted to leave. It's funny because he thought I was going to go home with them, but I stayed behind.

I throw the covers off of me and stretch, yawning loudly. I roll out of bed and walk to my door. I notice in the mirror that my hair is absolutely wild. I try patting it down but it's no use. I open the door and there's a small box at my feet. I stick my head out and look down the hallway but there's nobody there.

I pick up the box and open it; revealing the A necklace that I left in Austin's room after he kissed me. I sigh and put it back in the box and shut my door. I put the box under a pile of clothes in my top drawer. I can't believe he would leave that at my door step. Does he really think I still want it? Well of course I do… But still.

I throw on a baggy tee shirt and a pair of jean shorts and throw my hair up in a ponytail and head downstairs. Everyone is sitting at the table starting to eat breakfast. I sit down between my father and Bailey and inhale the scent of homemade waffles. Good ole Renee.

"You got home late last night." Bailey says, grinning.

I smile back as I place two waffles on my plate, "Yeah." I shrug.

"What were you doing?" My father asks.

"Oh I was just hanging out with this guy I met." I say. Austin grabs another waffle and sets it on his plate a little too hard…

"You hung out with some strange guy?" My father asks.

"He wasn't strange, and plus I'm an adult dad." I say, shaking my head.

"Well still! You should be careful." He says.

"I agree Lester." Austin says proudly after taking a bite.

"Well he's taking me on a date tonight so I'll get to know him better so you won't worry as much." I say to my dad.

Austin freezes for a moment and then goes back to eating quietly. Bailey gets all girly and excited and wants to pretty me up for the date tonight but it's not really a date. He invited me to hang out with him and some friends at another party, but for some reason I went all weird and said date, and Austin seemed weird about it.

()()()()

I put on a pair of high waisted shorts, a tight short black tank top so that a little part of my belly shows and I let my hair fall down with loose curls. I don't put any make up on; I don't want to try too hard. I don't even know why I'm going out tonight. I'm really not interested in Mark. Nobody interests me except Austin. But he's with Bailey and I should move on too. I know it won't happen but I could at least try I guess.

I walk downstairs and into the kitchen to grab a drink while I wait for Mark to pick me up. I'm surprised when I see Austin alone at the bar, his head in his hands. I look around and there's no one in sight. I clear my throat as I stand in front of him. It startles him and he just stares at me. I start to feel really awkward so I just go into the refrigerator and grab a bottle of water.

"Ally…" I turn around and almost bump right into him. Why the heck is he so close to me?

"What?" I ask, looking up at him.

"You look really good." He says.

"Uh thanks." I say, and look past him.

"Everyone left. They went to some festival in town and I didn't feel like going. You should stay here and we can watch movies." He suggests.

You've got to be kidding me.

"Austin you know I'm going out." I say and walk over to the counter. I lean against it and play with my bottle.

"You don't have to though." He says.

"But I'm going to." I tell him.

"Ally… Please."

There's a knock on the door then, "Goodbye Austin." I say.

I open the door and Mark is standing there. He's dressed in all white and he looks handsome. He hands me a single rose and I blush. This isn't even a real date and he brought me a flower? "Thank you." I say with a smile.

"A pretty rose for a pretty girl." He says.

We drive the short distance to the big party that is just like the other night. I don't understand why all of these beach parties are always the same. I mean, I think that would get really old; going to the same spot on the beach every night, having the same type of fire, playing the same type of music. I mean parties in New York are a lot different.

He introduces me to a couple more of his friends; a bunch of girls. And they are definitely not the type of girls I'd hang out with. Plus, they were all acting pretty snobby when he introduced me. That's okay though, it's not like I like him, because I don't. He's just a distraction.

After a while into the party, he starts to drink. I thought maybe he'd stop after his like sixth beer but then he starts taking shots and I'm getting pretty nervous. I grab a soda and take a seat in front of the water. It's a beautiful night out. The temperature is perfect and the waves are really southing. But it makes me think of all the summer nights Austin and I had at the beach…

"Hey Ally." Mark says as he takes a seat next to me. He reeks of alcohol.

"Hi."

"Are you having a good time?" He asks, grinning and then wrapping his arm around me.

I shrug it off and he shoots me a glare. Does it look like I'm having a good time? "Actually I think I should be heading home, it's getting late."

"Baby the party is just starting!" He says and grabs my face, trying to kiss me.

I push him off and stand up, "What the hell are you doing?"

He stands up too and grabs my arm, "Come on, don't be so prude."

"Just stop." I say and pull away from him.

"Wow, and I thought you'd be easier than this." He says.

"Excuse me?"

He grabs for my face again and I trip, falling backwards. Before he can react I jump up and run away from him. I run as fast as I can and away from the party and away from the beach before he can do something worse to me. Tears stream down my face as I make it through the streets and back to the beach house. It isn't even that late, but my father, Renee and Bailey are still gone.

I sit down on the front steps and rest my face in my hands and start crying. Who knows what Mark hand in mind, and I was stupid enough to be alone with him. I'll never move on. I can't trust anybody but Austin. I can't let another guy in. It's just not going to happen. I can't believe that I thought I could make something else work.

"Ally…?" Oh great.

I shake my head and ignore him, but I feel him sit next to me, "What did he do." He says through gritted teeth.

I put my face up and turn to him, tears running down. "I'm the idiot." I say.

"What are you talking about?" He asks, searching my face.

"I shouldn't have gone out with a stranger." I tell him.

"What did he do Ally?"

I shake my head, "He was drunk. He tried to kiss me and I kept shoving him away and I just ran."

"I'll kill him." He says.

I stand up then, "Austin, just stop trying to protect me. I'm not your girlfriend. You can't keep doing this."

He stands up then too, "Ally, I can't stop. I can't just stop."

"It's not that hard, just let me protect myself." I say.

"That's not what I'm talking about." He deadpans.

"Stop what then?" I ask.

He runs this hand through his hair and looks back down at me, "I can't stop loving you Ally. I can't stop." I feel like my heart stops right there. And I think a part of me wishes it did.

My crying gets harder, "Austin, stop." I whisper.

"No Ally. Stop pushing me away. I need you. I love you. I've never stopped." He says, and I see tears in his eyes too.

I turn away from him then, and hug myself. "You know this can't happen."

He grabs my arm softly, unlike Mark earlier, and turns me to face him again, "All you care about is how this is going to affect everyone else. But you don't see how badly it's affecting you." He says.

"I should go now." I say and walk towards the door.

"I know you still love me Ally." He shouts.

"No I don't." I lie.

"When are you going to realize I know you better than anyone?" He asks.

I run through the house then and upstairs to my room. I lock the door behind me and walk over to my dresser. I take out the necklace and chuck it at the door. I scream in anger, and sadness. Why did this happen to me? Why can't my life just be normal? Why can't I just be with Austin without anything being complicated? Why can't Bailey be some snobby bitch? Why did my dad have to marry Renee? Why does she have to be so amazing?

Why do I have to love Austin still…?

The only thing I know is, I'm going back to New York; Tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

**So i read the fault in our stars a while ago and i saw the movie last night and ugh i am still an emotional wreck. BUT TOMORROW I GET TO SEE R5 LIVEEEE. I CANNNNOT WAIT!**

You know, I've cried a lot in my life. I've cried over things I should have cried about, and I've cried over the stupidest things. Like when I was six and I couldn't get that new box of crayons. But anyways, right now, since Austin and I's 'talk', I think I've cried more than I have ever cried.

I take articles of clothing out of my drawers and throw them angrily into my suitcase. I don't even know why I'm so mad. I mean, Austin told me everything I've wanted to hear again for the past three years, and I should be ecstatic. But instead I'm mad and I'm crying and I'm going to go back to New York. I'm running away from my problems, but I guess that's just the girl I've turned into.

It's the middle of the night, I don't know what time exactly. My clock fell off of my desk because I threw one of my suitcases and missed a little bit, causing half of my stuff on my night stand to fall off. I was relieved when my father or Renee didn't wake up. I really didn't want them coming into my room and seeing me like this. My father would probably call a priest to come do an exorcism.

Only half of my bags are packed and I sit helplessly in the middle of my mess. I sob but the tears aren't coming anymore. Did I really cry myself dry? Did I really walk away from Austin when he told me he still loved me? Am I really going to leave like this? I tug at my hair just a little bit and sigh.

Suddenly, there's a light knock on my door. So quiet, I almost thought I was literally going nuts. I crawl over to the door and sit in front of it, "Who is it?" I whisper.

"Austin." He whispers back.

"I don't want to talk." I tell him.

"Please." He begs.

I back away from the door and go back to my spot, ignoring him. But of course, there's no lock so he enters then, and he face drops at the sight of me. He shuts the door behind him and sits in front of me, "Ally, why are your bags packed?"

I shrug, and he waits until he realizes I'm not going to respond. He runs his fingers through his hair, "I hope you're not thinking of going back to New York."

"I'm not thinking about it, I'm doing it." I say blankly.

"No you're not." He says and Its not harsh, or meant to sound bossy.

"I have to."

"I'll follow you." He says.

I look at him then, "Huh?"

"If you go to New York, I'll get on the next plane." He says, so seriously and looks right into my eyes.

"No you won't." I say, and now that sounds bossy.

"I will. I'll transfer to your school. And if I can't do that, I'll buy an apartment near it."

"No you won't." I threaten.

"Watch me. I'm not going to let you just run away Ally. I'm not going to let you go again, ever." Tears stream down my face and I wipe them off angrily. I thought I had none left?

"What's going on?" Bailey asks, entering the room now. Oh god. I turn away and wipe off more tears and as she walks over to Austin. I'm waiting for Austin to say something, a lie, anything; but he doesn't.

"Okay, I think all of us need to talk, where we don't have to whisper. Can you guys come out to the porch with me?" She says, and before we can respond she walks out.

I give Austin a confused look and he shrugs before following after her.

()()()()

"I've been waiting for one of you to say something. To tell me what's going on. But then I realized you two are too good of people to hurt me, so I've decided to make this easier on you." Bailey stays as she leans against the small table on the porch. Austin and I are seated on chairs next to each other, staring at her dumbfounded.

"What are you talking about?" Austin asks.

"I know that something is going on between you two, and I can tell it's hurting both of you, and I don't like it. I know the only thing in your way is me, and I'm telling you that I'm okay with it."

"Huh?" I ask, shocked.

"You two have so much history together. You still know everything about each other. I can see the way you look at each other when you think no one is watching, and Ally, I know I haven't known you long, but I can tell how upset you've been. And it hasn't made me feel any better either."

"Bailey…" Austin starts but she lifts her hand up.

"I'm okay, honestly. I'd never want to force a guy to be with me when he loves someone else; especially my step sister. Yes, it hurts a little, but it would hurt more to keep you two from each other."

I start to sob lightly, and I cover my mouth instantly. Austin looks at me with sad eyes but I ignore him, "It's really okay Ally." Bailey says and walks over to me and gives me a hug.

"You're a way better person than me." Austin says to her.

She shakes her head, "I think the amazing person here is Ally. You were just going to let me have him to keep me happy, and we haven't even been family that long. I think I owe you this." I stand up and hug her again and sob into her shoulder. I can't believe this. I can't believe she is doing this. She's the best person in the world. Who would do this for someone?

"Are you sure?" I whisper to her.

"I'm more than sure." She says.

Austin stands up and Bailey hugs him too. It's definitely awkward, but she doesn't pull away too fast. She whispers something in his ear and he nods. She looks at the both of us and yawns. "Well, I'm pretty tired. I'll see you two in the morning?"

Austin nods and looks at me, "Yeah." I tell her with a small smile.

After she walks away, we are completely silent. I stare off at the dark beach, leaning over the railing of the porch. Austin stands behind me then, and I can feel his eyes on me. I look over at him and his expression is blank, and he's searching my face all over.

"I can't believe it." I say.

"I can't either."

"Is it what you wanted?" I ask him.

He laughs then, "Are you kidding?"

I shake my head, "No."

"Bailey is an amazing girl, clearly." He says and I nod, looking away from him.

He steps closer and cups my face in his hand, "But you're ten times better. You're my Als."

And that's when I wake up from my dream. I lie in the middle of my clothes and suitcases and stare up at the ceiling. I've never wanted a dream to be so real in my entire life.


	11. Chapter 11

My plane takes off in the afternoon, but I decide to leave early in the morning to avoid any goodbyes. I'll text my father when I'm there and let him know what's going on. Well, the untruthful version anyway.

I grab my two suitcases and my backpack and head down the stairs as quietly as I can. It's about six in the morning and I'm sure no one would be up. None of us have gotten up past seven thirty here anyways.

After almost falling down the stairs, I finally make my way through the kitchen to get to the front door, and that's when Renee, my father, Austin and Bailey are all seated at the table in the kitchen. Their heads snap to me instantly as I walk through the door way. You've got to be kidding me.

"What are you doing?" My father asks.

I look down at my suitcase and back at them, "I uh…" I stutter.

"Why are you all packed?" Bailey asks.

"Oh I um I'm flying back to school." I blurt out.

Austin stands up then and everyone looks at him like he has four heads, "Ally, don't do this."

"What's going on?" Renee asks.

"I just got this early acceptance to this summer program and I just didn't want to burden you with goodbyes and…"

"Stop lying." Austin says.

I shoot him a glare, "I'm not."

"Ally you would never just leave like this without saying goodbye." My father adds.

"I just, I have to go…" I say and start walking to the door. Austin runs over to it and stands in front of it like a three year ago. I look up at him with pleading eyes, "Let me through."

He sighs and his eyes go so sad I can barely stand to look at them, "I can't let you go again."

"Okay, what is going on?" Renee asks.

"I think I know." Bailey says.

I turn and look at her, and her face is filled with sadness. She pushes her empty plate away and cups her hands in front of her, "She's leaving to avoid me and Austin." Okay, did I have some psychic dream or something?

"No, I'm not." I say.

"What do you mean Bailey?" Renee asks.

She laughs, "I'm not blind. I could tell by the minute we got here that Austin and Ally still feel something for each other." She says.

"That's absurd." Renee says.

"No it's not." Austin says. I turn to him and give him a warning look.

Bailey nods and my father just sits there quietly, watching all of us. "What do you mean? You are with Bailey." Renee says, obviously getting frustrated.

"I know. And she's an amazing girl." He says.

"But I'm not Ally." She states. He nods slowly, as if Renee may take his head off at any moment.

"Bailey I…" I start.

"It's okay. Sure, this hurts. It hurts to hear, but I know you're hurting more than I ever could." She says.

"This is ridiculous." Renee says.

"Mom, cut it out." Bailey says back.

"Bailey I'm sorry." Austin says.

"I know."

"I have a flight to catch." I announce.

"You're not going anywhere." Bailey says, "This is our family vacation, and we all agreed to stay here the whole summer."

"But…"

"But nothing…" Renee says.

"We are all mature here. I'm not going to put hair dye in your shampoo or something." Bailey says, and we all chuckle, except Austin.

"If you and Austin want to be together, I won't step in your way." Bailey says.

"Wow, that's really mature of you." My father says.

"So are you going to stay?" Austin asks, looking down at me.

"I guess I don't have a choice huh?" I say to everyone.

()()()()()()

After I un-pack, I find Bailey downstairs and ask her to go for a walk with me. She agrees and we walk along the beach together in silence for a while until I finally have enough courage to speak up, "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes." She says.

"But you love him." I tell her.

"And you love him more."

I sigh, "I didn't want this to happen. That's why I was leaving. I wanted to leave you two alone."

"And that's sweet of you, really. But I don't want to be with him if he still loves you. I'll get over it, it's not like we dated for years." She says.

"Can I hug you?" I ask her and laugh.

"Of course you can." She says and we hug.

()()()()()()

The next day, Austin and I still haven't really talked. Things are already awkward in the house and I guess we just didn't want to do anything yet. Or maybe he doesn't want to do anything at all. Maybe he wanted to stay with Bailey?

As I organize my dresser a bit, I hear a noise and look towards my door. A white piece of paper is lying in front of it like someone slipped it through. I walk over to it and pick it up. I unfold it slowly and recognize the handwriting instantly,"

Dear Ally,

Meet me on the beach tonight at seven o'clock. Wearing something red ;)

-Austin."

I giggle at the wear something red part and fold the paper back up. As I rummage through my closet I feel like I'm in high school again. I always spent the whole day getting ready to go out with Austin when he planned dates. I knew I could show up in red sweatpants, no makeup and my hair all frizzy and he wouldn't care. But I always liked to look extra nice for him.

I decide on my red tank top that has lace on the shoulders with my black skirt. I don't want to be too dressy since I'm just meeting him at the beach. I curly my hair and put on perfume that he always loved on me. Yes, I kept the bottle all these years.

When the time to leave finally comes, I walk through the living room and Renee, my father and Bailey are seated on the couch. I feel really awkward suddenly as they all look up at me. "Where are you going?" My father asks.

"Uh, to meet Austin at the beach…" I say and prepare for the consequences.

"Have fun!" Bailey says and winks.

Relief floods me and I smile at her before leaving the room and out the beach house. As I get closer to the beach, I notice a candle walk way and blush. Did he really do all of this for me? I follow the candles until I'm at a rocky spot of the beach and I see him. He's set up a picnic. He stands up off of the blanket and walks over to me, "Hello." He says. He's wearing a white dressy long sleeve shirt that's only half buttoned, and a pair of black shorts. Wow.

"Hi." I say with a grin.

He grabs my hand and pulls me to the blanket and I sit across from him, "I know it's not the water fall but, its still water right?" he says and we both laugh.

He opens the picnic basket and first pulls out a jar of my favorite pickles, turkey sandwiches; all home made. I smile from ear to ear and shake my head in disbelief at him, "What?" He asks.

"I can't believe you did all of this; again." I say.

"I'd do anything for you." He says.

After we eat and I think it's coming to an end, he pulls out a white container from the basket. "What's this?" I ask.

"Open it." He tells me.

I open it up and it's strawberry shortcake; tears well up in my eyes when I see it. I know, it's just a dessert, and it's pretty sad to cry over it but it means so much to me. Austin wipes a tear from my face and smiles, "It's not going to taste that bad."

I laugh, "You know that's not why I'm crying."

He nods and we eat it together. After we're done, we pack up the food and sit next to each other. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and we watch the waves crashing in. I nozzle up to him and I feel him smell the air, "You're wearing that perfume." He says.

I laugh, "Of course."

"Ally…" He starts. I look up at him and he smiles down at me, "I love you." He whispers.

"I love you too." I tell him back. He leans down and kisses me softly before pulling away.

"I'll never let you go again." He says.

"Please don't." I beg.

**Author's Note:**

I hope this chapter made up for you all hating me lol. I know you're just kidding! Thanks for sticking around even after i tortured you with the last chapter. I'm not sure how many more chapters this story has, but thanks so much for reading!  
So i saw the fault in our stars. It was incredible. I read the book a while ago and it was so much like it. I mean yeah, some things were different but that's what you have to expect when they form it into a movie. But it was so much like the book it was amazing. and so sad. i cried so much.

The R5 concert:

It was a big summer jam concert so i saw others but i only wanted to see R5. I had front row seats and they were so amazing. This is my second concert. I went last year and met them and took a picture with them. Yesterday's concert had a signing and i did that and they signed my CD! Hugs weren't aloud ( SADLY! ) so i asked Ross for a high five and he was happy to give it to me and we talked for a second. It was an amazing day! I don't mean to brag! Just none of my friends like them so i can't share my excitement with them!


	12. Chapter 12

After the picnic, and after talking about everything for hours, we go back into the house and everyone's asleep. We tip toe upstairs and stop at my room. I turn and look up and admire his features; his shaggy blonde hair, his perfect cheekbones, his amazing smile. Everything about him is perfect.

"I had a good time with you tonight." He whispers.

"I did too." I whisper back with a smile.

He leans down and kisses me and my heart races. He pulls away but I pull him back to me and run my hands through his hair as he deepens the kiss. My back falls against my door and we stay like that, kissing passionately.

"God, I've missed you." He whispers against my lips as we both try to catch our breath.

"You have no idea." I say and open the door to my room.

He stays still in front of it and I grab his arm, pulling him in. I shut the door and pull him towards my bed. He sits down at the end of it and I sit down on his lap, hugging him around his neck. He giggles suddenly and I look down at him confused, "You're heart is beating really fast."

"I know." I tell him.

"Just like when we were younger."

"It only beats like that when you're around." I tell him. He doesn't smile though; he just crashes his lips onto mine.

Eventually, we both lie back and I'm on top of him. He lifts my shirt up just a little and his hands go to my waist. I get instant goose bumps at his touch. We stop kissing and he runs his fingers through my hair and looks me in the eyes, "I shouldn't have ever let you go."

I prop up onto one elbow and look at him, "It wasn't just you. It was both of us."

"I can't lose you again." He whispers, running a finger down my arm.

"You won't." I tell him.

He sits up with me on his lap and slowly takes my shirt off, throwing it to the side. I take his shirt off then, revealing his toned torso. I run my fingers over his abs and his eyes don't leave my face. He kisses me softly and then pulls me towards him and starts kissing my neck.

()()()()()

When I wake up the next morning, the sun is bright and blinding. I rub my eyes and my elbow hits something. I look over and Austin is sleeping peacefully next to me. His hair a wild mess, but there's a small smile on his sleeping face. God, I'd love to wake up to that face every morning.

I lean over and kiss him on the lips, thinking he was still asleep. I let out a small squeal when strong arms pull me over onto of him. He grins and kisses me back. I wiggle in his grasp, "Jesus Austin I thought you were asleep."

He giggles and lets me go. I roll back over onto my side of the bed and put the sheets over me quickly. "So, last night…" Austin says.

"What?" I asked.

"I missed that." He says.

"I'm sure you and Bailey did it all the time." I blurt out. Wow, talk about a mood killer Ally.

His face turns red then and he looks up at the ceiling, "We never…"

"Okay, sure." I say.

"I'm dead serious. I couldn't." He says.

"Wow." I say, relived.

"I could only do that with someone I love, and that's you." He says, and my heart starts to race again.

()()()()()

That night at dinner is quite. We are seated in our normal spots, Austin's hand secretly rested on my leg. Not that we need to keep it a secret, we just don't want to show any affection in front of Bailey so soon. I don't think it would be fair.

Renee made a salad with some grilled chicken cut up in it. She always made some fresh squeezed lemonade which is absolutely amazing. But I am really getting tired of chicken.

"So, you all go back school soon huh? Wow this summer has gone by fast." Renee says.

Those words hit me like a brick. Summer is over soon, and Austin and I will be separated again. He will be going back to school, where Bailey is. We couldn't make it work before. Will we be able to again?

I clear my throat, "Excuse me." I say and get up from the table.

I walk out onto the porch and lean over the railing. I breathe in and out slowly, trying to rid my head of all the negative thoughts. Almost on cue, Austin appears beside me, concern written on his face, "You're thinking of what's going to happen when we go back to school aren't you?" He asks.

I nod and he sighs, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "We can make it work."

"How are you going to deal with seeing Bailey all the time? How are we going to even have time to see each other again?"

"I'll move to New York." He says.

I shake my head, "No. I know how much that school means to you. Plus, you only have a year left."

"Exactly; we only have one year left. And then we can start our lives together."

"What about now?" I ask.

He turns me to face him and wraps his arms around my waist, "I don't know Ally. But it's clear how much we love each other and that not being together just isn't an option. I will visit you. I promise. And right after we graduate, I'll never leave your side, do you hear me?" he asks, scanning my face.

I nod as tears stream down my cheeks. Man, I love this boy.


	13. Chapter 13

Epilogue:

A year and a half later…

I stare at myself in the mirror; the white laced dress skin tight to my body, the pearl necklace hanging from my neck. I grab a loose curl and start to chew on it, causing Bailey to slap me on the hand, "I _just_ curled that one!"

I laugh and look up at her reflection in the mirror. Her face is content and focused on the curling iron in her hand, curling every inch of my long brown hair. She's already had to re-do a few curls due to my spit causing them to lose their bounce.

"It's Austin for crying out loud, no need to chew your hair over it." She says lightly.

I sigh and stare down at my freshly manicured nails, "But this is a big deal."

She touches my chin and lifts it up, looking down at me, "I know. But I'm trying to make your hair look nice here." And we both laugh again.

Her yellow strapless dress looks stunning on her. It puffs out at the bottom and goes to her knees. Her long wavy blonde hair and natural face makes me think she might look better than I do. But I don't envy her like I used to; I'm the one marrying Austin today.

Trish walks in then, carrying a closed white box. She takes a seat on the chair behind us and grins. I turn to look at her, and get called a bad name by Bailey, so I quickly turn back around, "What's that?" I ask Trish.

"You're veil. It's beautiful."

"Well she will never be ready for it." Bailey says.

"Is she still chewing on her hair?" Trish asks and I giggle.

"Well if you must know, I just saw Austin." Trish says and stands up, leaning against the wall next to the mirror so I could see her.

"And…? He ran away didn't he?" I ask, panicking.

Trish starts laughing and I can feel the curling iron shake, which means so is Bailey. I look up at Trish with horror in my eyes and she rolls hers, "Ally, come on. I've never seen Austin so happy. He told me to tell you he loves you, since he couldn't see you this morning." I blush at her words.

When Bailey is done with my hair, Trish gives me one of her favorite bracelets to wear, which goes right with my dress. After she hugs me, she leaves to go make sure everything is going okay, since the wedding starts in only ten minutes.

I walk over to the bed where my veil is lying and I stare down at it. I can't believe this is happening. Austin and I got through our last year of college perfectly. He visited me as much as he could, and no matter what we always called each other every day. And then after we went to each other's graduations, he took me to that waterfall where we had that picnic when we were younger, got down on one knee and proposed to me. It was one of the best days of my life.

"You look beautiful." Bailey says, interrupting my thoughts.

I turn to her with tears welling up in my eyes, "So do you. Thanks for doing my hair. And thanks for being here."

She hugs me tightly and rubs my back, "I wouldn't miss it."

"You know, if it wasn't for you…" I say.

"You don't have to say anything Ally. I'm so happy you and Austin can be together. Plus, me and Anthony are together and going strong." She says.

I smile, "I know."

"It's time." Trish says as she pokes into the room.

"Oh god…" I say.

Bailey squeezes my hand, "It's going to be great."

()()()()()

"You look beautiful Ally." My father whispers to me as we start walking down the aisle.

"Thanks." I whisper through tears.

My face is covered in my veil, but I refuse to look up. I stare down at my feet, suddenly full of stage fright. Well, I'm not on a stage, but everyone is looking at me. I can hear their 'oohs' and 'ahhs'. I haven't seen Austin yet, but I know he must be at the end of this because why would this be happening?

When we stop, I finally look up. Austin is staring at me. His mouth shut in a small smile. His eyes are wet, I can tell, even though he's trying to hide it. His black tux is tightly fitted, and his hair is bushy and blonde, god he's perfect.

My father gives me away to him and he takes my hand, which is shaking. But I don't feel as bad when I realize his are too, "You're breathtaking." He whispers down at me. All I can do is smile.

After the man marrying us says some things, it's finally time for our vows. We decided to write our own, and this is what I was most worried about. I wrote down a million things but ended up throwing it all away because it didn't sound good enough. I decided to just wing it, but I don't know how that's going to go. Luckily, Austin is going first.

He looks around and then down at me, he clears his throat, and beings, "Alls. First of all, you're beautiful." He starts, moving my veil from my face, and a roar of aww's sound. I look over and my mom is already bawling.

"I remember when we first met; I knew you were something special. Back in middle school, I didn't know what love was. But something weird started to happen. I felt like I had to protect you. Protect you from any mean kids that tried to pick on you for wearing glasses until you ended up getting contacts. I felt like I had to give you everything you ever dreamed of. Like that keyboard piano I bought you for your fourteenth birthday. I realized that no girl could ever compare to you. And then I finally got enough courage to ask you to be my girlfriend. And that was just one of the best days of my life."

Tears start to fall from my eyes and now I'm thankful Bailey put waterproof mascara on.

"We dated all through high school. We experienced everything together; from our first homecoming dance, our first day of high school, our first prom, and then graduation. We were inseparable. But then we were accepted into different schools and we drifted apart, and that's when everything that was good in my life was gone, because you were gone. It took us three and a half years to find each other again, and I'm so glad we did. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anybody else. You're the love of my life. You're my high school sweet heart. God I just love you so much." He says, and rubs my hand that's in his.

I'm crying so hard now, and I realize it's my turn, "Oh god, I have to top that?" I ask and everyone laughs, including Austin.

"Well, you're right about everything you said. We have a lot of history. And at one point I thought I should let it all go, leave it all behind, because all it was was a memory. But then you came back into my life. And I tried to push you away because I was scared. But you promised it would be different this time, and look at where we are now.

"Austin Moon, you're the only boy I've ever felt any sort of love for. Not a day has gone by since middle school that I haven't thought of you. The days without you were unbearable, but were worth it in the end. Maybe things do happen for a reason; I used to think that wasn't true until now. I love you with everything I have, and I can't wait to spend forever with you, and even that won't be long enough. You're my rock."

Tears are falling from Austin's face now, and I'm shocked. He's actually letting people see him cry…

"This is the second best day of my life. The first, was the day I realized I loved you."

()()()()()

"I do." Austin says.

"I do." I say shortly after.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may now kiss the bride."

Austin smiles big and leans down, kissing me passionately, making me blush. He grabs my hand and we walk back down the aisle as everyone claps for us.

Austin and I take a limo to the place where our reception is. When we get there, we are seated with the rest of the wedding party, and eventually, it's time for some speeches. Trish, Bailey, and my parents, and Austin's mother and father are all going to talk.

Austin's parents are sweet, and I think getting drunk already. They congratulate us and embarrass us because they say they can't wait for us to have kids and all that. Austin rolls his eyes but laughs anyway and we all clap for them.

My parent's speech is kind of awkward. They haven't been around each other much recently, and well my father is remarried and all. But they stay civilized and I'm proud of them for that. They say they love both of us and that they couldn't imagine me with anybody us and that Austin is a great man.

Trish talks the longest, going on and on about our friendship and how all I did for those three years Austin and I were apart was whine about it. She meant well so I wasn't mad of course. She made us laugh and cry and then finally had to be pulled off the stage. Good ol' Trish.

Now it's Baileys turn. She walks up to the microphone and her eyes go right to mine, "Well, here we are. They are married, and Ally didn't even chew her hair once during the ceremony!" She says and everyone cheers. My face turns red and Austin holds my hand tight so I don't shove some hair into my mouth.

"Just kidding Ally, I love you. Anyways, I just wanted to say that I am so happy for the both of you. I knew when I met you Ally that we were going to get along great. I know we aren't blood sisters, but it sure feels that way. All I wanted was you to be happy, and I'm glad you are. We're going to make many more great memories, and I can't wait. And Austin, well I don't have much to say. Just, that I know what Ally means to you, and she's wicked lucky to have a guy like you. You're great. Here's to forever!" She says, lifting her glass.

We all lift up our glasses towards her and take a sip. We set our glasses down and Austin turns to me, resting his forehead on mine, "I love you Alls." He whispers to me, and in this moment, I know nothing will ever go wrong again.

**Author's Note:**

**Well, there you have it folks. It's over! :( I hope you liked this, i just wrote it today, i was on a roll. I wanted it to be perfect and i hope you think it is. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH to all of the positive reviews and for reading the whole thing and sticking by the story even with it's crazy emotional roller coaster. I really loved it and i can tel you all did too. Please review and let me know how you felt about the ending. And don't worry, this isn't the end of me writing. I will definitely be writing more in the future. Again, thank you so much!**


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